Bag-holder.



J. THOMPSON.

BAG HDLDEB.

APPLIOATION FILED 1130.20, 1910.

999,910. Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Jm ZZWl /W,

Inventor Attorneys Witnesses JAMES THOMPSON, OF GREELEY, COLORADO.

BAG-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed December 20, 1910. Serial No. 598,292.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES THOMPSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Greeley, in the county of WVeld and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful Bag-Holder, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to bag holders adapted to be applied to potato sorting machines and consists in the novel construction and arrangement of its parts as hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a bag holder of simple structure which is adapted to hold the mouth of a bag open with the sides of the bag about the opening approximately rectangularly disposed with relation to the other. With this object in View the structure includes spring pressed rods which are slidably mounted in suitable guides and having prongs at their outer ends adapted to engage the bag. A shaft is journaled upon one of the guides of the said rod and is provided with prongs adapted to engage the inner portion of the bag. The said shaft is provided with a crank extremity and a locking device is provided for engaging the said extremity to retain the said shaft against rotation when the bag is being held.

In the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bag holder. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same and part of the supporting means.

The bag holder is supported upon a frame a portion of which is indicated at 1 in the drawings, said frame having cross bars 2 and 3. Rods 4 are slidably supported in the bars 2 and 3 and are provided at their outer ends with prongs 5 which are adapted to engage the outer portion of a bag when it is being supported. Springs 6 are attached at one end to the cross bars 3 and are provided at intermediate points with coils 7 and at their other ends are connected with the said rods 4. The said springs 6 are under tension with a tendency to hold the prong ends 5 of the rods 4 projected to a maximum extent beyond the cross bar 2. A shaft 8 is j ournaled in bearings 9 which are mounted upon the cross bar 2 and the said shaft 8 is provided at one end with a crank extremity 10. The shaft 8 is also provided with prongs 11 which are adapted to engage the edge portion of a bag when the same is being supported by the bag holder. A catch 12 is pivoted upon the frame 1 and is provided with an angularly disposed extremity 13 which at times is adapted to lie in the path of movement of the extremity 10 of the shaft 8 and restrain the said shaft against turning movement in the bearings 9. A spring 14 is connected at one end to the frame 1 and is provided at an intermediate point with a loop 15 and the upper end of said spring bears against the under edge of the catch 12.

When a bag is supported upon the bag holder the prongs 11 are projected through the upper portion of the bag at one side thereof and the prongs 5 are projected through the upper portion of the bag at the opposite side thereof in the manner as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of the drawing.

Vhen the bag is engaged with the bag holders in the manner as above indicated the sh aft 8 is turned so that the prongs 11 are upwardly disposed and the catch 12 is sprung and held by the spring 14 so that its angular extremity 13 lies transversely across the extension 10 of the shaft 8 and is within the path of movement of the said extension 10 whereby the said shaft 8 is restrained against rotation. After the bag has been filled and it is desired to lower the same or disengage the same from the bag holder the catch 12 is sprung down by an operator against the tension of the spring 14 until the extremity 13 thereof passes below the axis of the shaft 8 when the said shaft is free to rotate inasmuch as the said extension 13 of the catch 12 is moved beyond the path of movement of the angle extremity 10 of the said shaft 8. WVhen this occurs the bottom of the bag will settle upon a platform or other support not shown and the operator may then push in the rod 4 against the tension of the springs 6 when the prongs 5 will be disengaged from the bag and the mouth of 17518 bag may be gathered and tied if desire Having described the invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters ally mounted upon the frame and haping on of the angularly disposed extremity of the 10 its end an angula-lly disposed extremity shaft.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES THOMPSON.

\Vitnesses:

HENRY CANDLIN, ALBERTA STRATTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

